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War Room

Mississippi

MS-02 · The only majority-Black congressional district in the state · Current lines hold for Nov 3 · Redraw hearings underway
Situation Report Updated Sept 10, 2026
MS-02 is on the November 3 ballot under its current lines. The redraw machinery is already running — public hearings end Oct. 1, with a special session expected before 2027 qualifying.

After the Supreme Court weakened VRA Section 2 in Louisiana v. Callais, Gov. Tate Reeves canceled the May special session on judicial redistricting but said he expects lawmakers to redraw congressional, legislative, and state Supreme Court districts before the 2027 elections, and he named Rep. Bennie Thompson's 2nd District as the target. So November 3 runs on the current map. Thompson (D), who won his March primary, faces Republican Ron Eller and independent Bennie Foster. Statewide, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) faces Democrat Scott Colom and independent Ty Pinkins, and Court of Appeals, chancery, circuit, and county judgeships are also on the ballot. At the same time, the Legislature's joint redistricting committee is holding eight public hearings across the state through Oct. 1 on legislative, congressional, and Supreme Court maps. At the Sept. 1 hearing at Delta State in Cleveland, most speakers opposed what they saw as a Republican push for power at the expense of Black representation. On Aug. 21, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann removed Senate Democratic Leader Derrick Simmons from the committee. The full Legislature is expected to meet in a special session this fall to redraw at least the state legislative maps, ahead of 2027 candidate qualifying. Testify before Oct. 1, vote November 3 — the lines drawn next decide 2027 and beyond.

Situation report · Updated Sept 10, 2026
Strategic Intelligence Available Mississippi is tracked in our redistricting intelligence database — district-level vulnerabilities, dummymander opportunities, and strategic action.
The District We're Defending
MS-02 · On the Nov 3 Ballot · 2027 Redraw Target
Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District
Rep. Bennie Thompson · D · Since 1993 · Nov 3: Thompson (D) vs. Ron Eller (R), Bennie Foster (I)
The only majority-Black congressional district in Mississippi. Rep. Thompson has served since 1993, the sole Democratic voice in Mississippi's congressional delegation. The seat is on the November 3 ballot under its current lines. But Gov. Reeves says he expects lawmakers to redraw congressional lines before the 2027 elections, and the Legislature's redistricting committee is taking public testimony now, through Oct. 1. Without MS-02, Mississippi sends an all-Republican, all-white delegation despite a 38% Black population.
⏳ Holds for Nov 3 · Redraw Hearings Underway
Census + Context ACS 2023
Black share 63.8% 5.4× national · densest in Deep South
Median household income $47,495 58¢ on the dollar · lowest in audit
Child poverty 37.3% 2.5× national · U.S. 15.2% · MS 24.7%
Median home value $126,300 35% of U.S. median · $234,300 gap
Organizing anchors Bolivar Coahoma Holmes Sunflower Tunica · Yazoo Jackson State · Tougaloo · Alcorn
Recent Coverage
Mississippi Today via The Sun-Sentinel · Sept 2026
Redistricting hearing turns tense in US Rep. Bennie Thompson's backyard →
The Mississippi Independent · Sept 2026
Explaining Mississippi's redistricting moves →
Mississippi Free Press · Aug 2026
Meet the Candidates for US Senate in Mississippi's Nov. 3 Elections →
SuperTalk Mississippi · Aug 2026
Mississippi lawmakers to hear public input ahead of expected redistricting →
What MS-02 Has Delivered for Black Mississippians
30+
Years of Continuous Black Representation
Rep. Bennie Thompson has served MS-02 since 1993 — the only uninterrupted Black congressional representation in state history.
$B
Federal Investment in the Mississippi Delta
As former Chair (2007–2011, 2019–2023) and current Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Thompson secured billions in infrastructure, rural broadband, and community development funds for one of America's poorest regions.
38%
of Mississippi Is Black
One majority-Black district out of four congressional seats is not preference — it is the bare minimum of proportional representation for a state with the highest Black population percentage in the nation.
By the Numbers · MS-02

By The Numbers.

Two census measures that show why MS-02, the only Black-majority congressional district in the country's highest-Black-population state, is the seat Mississippi's leadership has promised to redraw before 2027.

Black Population

Nearly two-thirds of MS-02 residents are Black — 63.8% — making the Delta corridor one of the densest concentrations of Black political power in the country.

The 63.8% Black share is roughly 5.4× the national rate and 1.7× Mississippi's statewide share. It is anchored in Bolivar, Washington, Coahoma, and the Jackson metro — Bennie Thompson's 17-term coalition.

MS-02
63.8%
Mississippi
36.0%
U.S.
11.7%
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates
Black Voting-Age Population

Six in ten MS-02 voting-age residents are Black — ~60% — making this seat one of the densest concentrations of Black political eligibility in the country, and the only Mississippi district where Black voters meaningfully choose their own representative.

Bennie Thompson holds this seat in his 17th term because the Black voting-age population is more than half the electorate. A 2027 redraw would crack it specifically because that concentration is what makes Black congressional representation possible in Mississippi, and the state's leadership has said openly that ending it is the goal.

MS-02
~60%
Mississippi
~34%
U.S.
~12%
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates · BVAP
Sources & Methodology

Population, voting-age population (VAP), and Black voting-age population (BVAP): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Partisan lean (PVI) and race ratings: Cook Political Report. Voter registration and file data: Mississippi Secretary of State public records, supplemented by commercial voter files from Catalist, L2, and TargetSmart. Polling and electoral analysis: Blue Rose Research, Equis Research, Pew Research Center, and Sabato's Crystal Ball (UVA Center for Politics). Map status, redistricting hearings, and special-session timeline: Mississippi legislative records and the Standing Joint Legislative Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting hearing schedule; coverage from Mississippi Today, Mississippi Free Press, SuperTalk Mississippi, and The Mississippi Independent; federal and state court filings; and published positions from NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Mississippi Center for Justice. Candidates and ballot: Associated Press, WLBT, WLOX, and Mississippi Free Press (Nov. 3, 2026 general election). Field intelligence: relayed from named partner organizations through coalition coordination; reflects current operating conditions rather than peer-reviewed analysis.